Why do we even need supplements? Can't we get everything our bodies need from food?
Answer from the desk of:
Dr. Anthony Balduzzi
Founder, The Fit Mother + Fit Father Project
This is a wonderful question... and one that I asked myself for many years.
After years of research, here is what I've concluded on both a practical & scientific standpoint... and from a philosophical standpoint on why I believe supplements are very beneficial (if not completely necessary) for men 40+ who want to optimum health.
The Practical, Scientific Component: Are Supplements Necessary?
In theory, with a perfect diet, you can get the vitamins and mineral you need from a diverse diet of whole foods.
That perfect diet would need to include a wide daily variety of high quality fruits, veggies, and protein sources (likely organically grown) to provide the complex concert of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fiber sources, and probiotics that our bodies require for optimum functioning.
The perfect diet would need to be diverse - rotating many different kinds of fruits, veggies, and protein sources - as not all of these micronutrients are found in all foods.
The problem is that 99% of people don't have a perfect healthy diet (myself included). And because we're busy people, we often prioritize consistency over variety. Most of us are not growing our own produce. We're not spending time tracking how many different vegetables and fruits we're eating to balance our vitamin & mineral intake.
And as much as we try to eat healthy... we aren't always eating a full spectrum of veggies, fruits, high quality proteins our bodies need. And even if we were eating 5+ servings of veggies & fruits each day (and eating fermented foods for probiotics AND having the cleanest high-quality protein sources)... with the current soil depletion from mega-industrial farming practices, the nutrition quality of our produce of today is lower than it has been in decades (Read more about soil depletion and its effect on produce quality: 1, 2, 3)
This is where supplements can help BIG TIME.
Supplements (by their very name) are SUPPLEMENTAL. They are meant to supplement ("add to") a healthy diet. And, as we've begun to explore above, most of us modern, busy guys can use the help... and the right supplements end up being invaluable tools for us.
The #1 supplement we recommend for members is our Fit Mother SuperFuel... you're going to need protein for your goals anyway. SuperFuel gives you that... and we toss in 40+ vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and organic superfoods to help you cover all your micronutrient bases that you're likely not getting with your diet. Chicken breast can't do that. That's why SuperFuel is so effective: it's your daily nutrition "insurance policy" to make sure you're getting the right stuff in your body in a super convenient, delicious way.
The other FMP supplements we've formulated (and are releasing this year) are really there to help SPEED UP your results and
address your specific health goals & concerns.
As we preach in all our programs, videos, and articles... healthy nutrition, quality sleep, and regular exercise/movement is the foundation of a healthy life. That said, a good healthy routine can only do so much; the right kinds of targeted, designed supplement can help specifically improve your health goals & concerns.
The Philosophy Component: Are Supplements Going Against The Body's Natural Inclination To Weaken & Die?
Philosophically speaking... many people wonder if taking supplements is "unnatural" as these supplements help offset the body's natural inclination to decline and weaken with age.
Specifically, we've had one of our members ask the following:
"Is taking something to boost Testosterone spitting in the face of God... as we have bodies that are naturally breaking down and lowering T as we age?"
I certainly think that's one way to look at it.
Another way to look at it the use of supplements is that our bodies are not "structures/organisms" that exist in ISOLATION.
We depend on air, water, nutrients form food, plants/herbs, and sunlight. These things that we typically perceive as "external" to us are really just the CONNECTION our bodies have to the whole of nature.
In a sense, we are not separate from the foods we eat or the supplements we take. They are us too in a very real sense, and when we ingest these things they become the constituents of our bodies. If we were meant to be completely self-sustaining, we would not need food or medicine from herbs. Yet, by design, we certainly do. The "external" nutrition and medicine is what I feel God designed to interact with our bodies for optimal functioning.
And because God-created nature provides all these tools that interact with our bodies, we have the ability to choose to use these tools in a way to enhance our body's energy and vitality.
It's like choosing to eat healthy vs unhealthy. We have to eat, so we might as well choose to put the best stuff possible in our bodies.
Yes, our supplements will absolutely help with longevity... but they are far from miracles that can completely halt the sands of time. Nothing can do that. And the goal for Fit Mothers is not to live forever. It's to live the fullest life possible with the energy and vitality that we can have... in the years we are blessed to be here.
That is where supplements can be an enhancement to our life. And in our supplements, we use the nature-derived, research-proven vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that are designed to work with our bodies to enhance health.
I hope that perspective helps, my friend.
Great questions and thoughts.
-Dr. A